SONGWRITER USES HIS WORK TO WREAK A PERSONAL REVENGE

Some songwriters don't like talking about their lyrics, and especially avoid any discussion of autobiographical elements lurking therein. But Rufus Wainwright will freely tell you a number of songs on his self-titled debut are about Danny, a young man who broke his heart.

So does writing about such painful experiences aid in the healing, or prolong the agony?

"It's purely for revenge," Wainwright said cheerfully. "To make their life miserable and make a lot of money off your sorrow about them!" Wainwright might not have made a lot of money yet. However, he has garnered plenty of critical acclaim for the lush, orchestral pop of Rufus Wainwright.

"The first half was with Sean Lennon. That was really fabulous. He's a great guy," Wainwright said. "Now I'm out with Lisa Loeb, who's a little more mainstream, a little more heartland, and therefore it's a little more bizarre."

Wainwright said he is enjoying himself, even though he is perhaps not a perfect fit for the bill.

"Lisa Loeb's audience is very into her, and also this guy Steve Poltz is a really funny kind of entertainer. They're sort of into a 'show.' Me, all I really want is just for people to listen to the songs. That takes a certain amount of concentration and dedication, which I expect from the audience - and sometimes I just don't get it," Wainwright said with a self-deprecating laugh. "That's sort of the most difficult part of it. Otherwise, I'm very attractive, and funny, and have a nice voice and I can play the piano!" While on the road with Lennon, Wainwright said they took the opportunity to discuss their mutual status as the offspring of famous musicians. Wainwright's parents are folksinger-songwriters Loudon Wainwright III (who had a long-ago fluke hit with "Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road") and Kate McGarrigle (of Canada's the McGarrigle Sisters). Of course, that's not nearly as heavy a burden as being John Lennon's son.

"He (Sean) has had to come to terms with the problem that certain people just come for sheer morbid curiosity,"Wainwright said. "I just get the occasional 'Loudon Wainwright! Dead Skunk!' guy."

Wainwright, 23, who is influenced by cabaret and the opera as much as anything, might seem an unlikely major-label signing. However, the head honcho at DreamWorks is music-business heavyweight Lenny Waronker, who has worked with artists such as Brian Wilson, Randy Newman, Lowell George and Van Dyke Parks. Parks is a friend of Wainwright's father, and passed Rufus' tape along to Waronker.

Waronker clearly did not skimp on the budget for Wainwright's debut. The production by Jon Brion (Aimee Mann, Jellyfish) is gorgeous, and the album features top musicians such as drummer Jim Keltner and Heartbreakers' keyboardist Benmont Tench. Several of the songs feature lavishly beautiful string arrangements by Parks, who might be considered the George Martin of American pop, except he also makes wonderful albums of his own.

Wainwright said he now considers Parks a personal, as well as a family, friend. However, he was a bit intimidated by working with him at first.

"I wouldn't say he's crazy, but he's a real eccentric guy," Wainwright said. "In all ways. He's the real deal. He's on his own little island. That was a little bit disconcerting, considering we were about to spend $10,000 on an orchestra. .. . He's a real aesthetic type of person, he's a sensitive man, and he gets hurt sometimes, and then feels elated. He wears his heart on his sleeve sometimes. He's very controlled by his emotions, I think in a good way, and a very beautiful way."

Wainwright, of course, is an emotional kind of guy himself.One of his great idols is composer Guiseppe Verdi, whose operas are so full of grand passions.

"I adore Verdi! I want to be Verdi," Wainwright exclaimed. "I love the way he's totally popular and has written so many hit songs and stuff, but on the other hand, he's very emotional and very deep. And that's probably what I strive for most, to have that combination."